1. Field of Invention
The invention particularly relates to attaching an adjustable hand rest post to a musical instrument, such as a bassoon or contrabassoon, for positioning of the hand rest on which the left or right hand rest while performing on the instrument.
2. Prior Art
A bassoon (i.e., Fagott in German or fagotto in Italian) is a kind of woodwind instrument. The bassoon provides a key mechanism which operates to open or close sound holes which are arranged along a tube. A drawing of the front and back of a conventional bassoon is supplied in FIG. 1. (Also a drawing of a conventional bassoon is contained FIG. 3 in U.S. Pat. No. 5,892,167, of Apr. 6, 1999.)
A contrabassoon (i.e. Contrafagott in German) is a kind of woodwind instrument. The contrabassoon provides a key mechanism which operates to open or close sound holes that are arranged along a tube. A drawing of the front and back of a conventional contrabassoon is supplied in FIG. 2.
FIG. 3 shows the parts of a conventional hand rest and post. A hand rest (i.e., crutch) is a formed piece of wood, plastic, or synthetic polymers, affixed to a metal peg. A hand rest post 5A is a metal unit into which the hand rest peg 2 is placed and is then fixed into position with a thumb screw 3. The conventional hand rest and post together consist of: the hand rest 1, hand rest peg 2, thumb screw 3, a hand rest post 5A, a curved plate 12, and screw holes in the curved plate 11. Occasionally, a hand rest post includes a boss 4.
The hand rest post is attached to the bassoon on the boot (also known as the double) joint, that is, the lowermost joint, with four wood screws in the position shown in FIG. 4. This hand rest post is positioned for the player's right hand, between the E key and the A hole (finger 5 on FIG. 1).
The conventional example of the bassoon hand rest post has the problem that the hand rest, while exhibiting rotational mobility about the post axis, cannot be adjusted along the long (top-to-bottom) or short (side-to-side; lateral) dimensions of the bassoon. The conventional hand rest post is fixed in a position at an angle of 90 degrees from the body of the bassoon, thus requiring the right hand wrist of bassoon players to be flexed at an angle of nearly 90 degrees in order to use the conventional hand rest post. This positioning of the wrist causes discomfort and fatigue of the hand, and can result in injury with overuse. Further, the lack of adjustability of the conventional hand rest post limits the ability to balance the instrument in the playing position, leading to difficulties in maintaining the position of the instrument for long periods of time while playing. Further, the conventional example of the bassoon hand rest post has the problem that, due to its lack of adjustability, its position cannot be adapted for use with the left hand in the position shown in FIG. 9.
An adjustable hand rest apparatus, manufactured by Musik Spiri of Switzerland, is made of record. There are several disadvantages associated with this hand rest.
1. The Musik Spiri hand rest apparatus does not allow for the use of the player's existing hand rest, i.e., crutch. Experienced and professional players in particular become accustomed to the use of their own particular hand rest for optimal performance, so this is a significant limitation of the Musik Spiri device. In contrast, with the disclosed adjustable hand rest post, a player can use the hand rest to which he or she has become accustomed and practiced. This is because the adjustable portion of the disclosed device is a hand rest post, into which a conventional hand rest, such as the performer's preferred hand rest, is inserted in the conventional fashion.
2. The Musik Spiri apparatus, due to its design, has a limited range of lateral angle through which it can be adjusted. This substantially limits the ability of the performer to obtain an optimally comfortable playing position, and requires a greater amount of hand flexion for its use than is generally desirable. In contrast, the disclosed adjustable hand rest apparatus has a much greater range of lateral angle through with it can be adjusted and fixed than does the Musik Spiri apparatus. This permits the player to perform with whatever amount of hand flexion is desired, without any limitations.
3. The Musik Spiri apparatus is more complex in its manufacture, requiring more bearings, more adjustment screws, and a substantial modification of the hand rest (i.e. crutch) itself. The latter must be partially hollowed out in order to attach the Musik Spiri apparatus. In contrast, the instant adjustable hand rest post is simpler to manufacture, requiring only a single hinge joint in the preferred embodiment.
4. The complexity of the Musik Spiri device, and the fact that it consists of not only a modified hand rest post but also of a modified hand rest, leads to substantial cost. In contrast, the instant adjustable hand rest post is much simpler in design and manufacture, and permits use of the player's pre-existing hand rest, and is hence substantially less costly.
5. The adjustment of the Musik Spiri apparatus is complicated by its use of multiple attachment screws which must be loosened for adjustment, and then tightened for performance. In contrast, the instant hand rest post can be easily and quickly adjusted by a single screw. This adjustment is sufficiently rapid that it can be readily carried out during rest periods during a performance.
6. The Musik Spiri apparatus does not permit adjustment in height of the hand rest, because it is based on sliding ball-and-socket joints. Therefore, once the Musik Spiri device is constructed and installed onto the bassoon, there is no capacity to adjust the position of the player's hand closer or farther from the instrument. This is a significant limitation, as even the conventional hand rest apparatus permits such adjustment, which is regarded as crucial. In contrast to the Musik Spiri device, the instant hand rest assembly permits adjustment of the position of the player's hand closer or farther from the instrument, to the same degree as in the case of the conventional hand rest apparatus.